Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

A. L. STEVENS.

v THILL COUPLING. N0. Patented June 10, 1890.

WITNESSES v J/VVEJVZOZ PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED L. STEVENS, OF DARIEN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO VILLIAM B.COCHRANE, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

THILL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,971, dated June 10,1890.

Application filed November 25, 1889. Serial No. 331,433- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Darien, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplin gs;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to produce a simple, durable, andinexpensive thill-ooupling that will permit the ready attachment of apole or pair of thills, and is so constructed that the wear of the partsmay be readily taken up and that all rattling of the parts in use shallbe wholly avoided.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel construction ofWhich'the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, numbers be ing used to denote the severalparts.

Figure 1 is a cross-section of an axle showing the clip and coupling inside elevation; Fig.2, an elevation of a thill-eye with the bushings,spring. and friction-block in operative position; Fig. 3, an elevationof the clip detached; Fig. 4, an elevation of the thilleye with thebushings, &c., removed; Fig. 5, a cross-section on the line 00 00 inFig. 2; Fig. 6, an elevation of one of the conical bushings; and Fig. 7is an elevation of the bolt.

1 denotes the iron portion of the axle; 2, the wood portion; 3, the rearend of one of the th ills; 4, the thill-iron, which is provided with aneye 5; 6, the clip provided with ears 7 8, the cross-piece, and 9 thenuts engaging the threaded ends of the clip below the crosspiece andacting to hold the parts securely in place. These parts may be of theordinary or any preferred construction.

It will be noticed (see Figs. 4 and 5) that the opening in the thill-eyeis narrowest at the center and tapers outward in both directions.

10 denotes the bolt, which is made angular, preferably square, and isheld against turning by the angular openings 11 in the ears throughwhich it passes, these openings corresponding in shape, of course, withthe bolt.

12 denotes conical bushings having angular, ordinarily square, centralopenings to adapt them to engage the bolt and prevent their turningthereon, and in one side of each bushing a recess 13. The bottom of thisrecess is preferably made highest a short distance from the outer endand inclines downward in both directions. The taper of the bushingscorresponds with the taper of the openings in the thill-eyes. Thebushings are placed in the thill-eyes, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, theirouter ends projecting beyond the eye, and the recesses in the twobushings being placed in alignment. Vithin each pair of recesses I placea friction-block 14, and below this block springs 15 and 16. The lowerspring, denoted by 16, is curved downward at the center, so as to engagethe inner inclines at the bottom of the recesses, the tendency being toforce the bushings outward against Y the earsv of the clip, the outerends of this spring being curved upward over the highest portions of thebottoms of the recesses and then downward slightly, so as to prevent thespring itself from slipping outward and bearing against eitherside ofthethill'eye. Spring 15 is curved upward at the ends and acts to forcethe friction-block outward against the inner side of the eye. It will benoticed that the friction-block inclines downward and inward toward thecenter from each end, so as to correspond with the incline of the eye.It is found, in practice, that square bolts wear much longer than roundbolts, which are always apt to turn, so that in practice there is alwaysdanger that the nuts will get loose and the bolts slip out from thecars. This has frequently happened with serious results, the dropping ofone end of the thills'being likely to throw the opposite forward wheelunder the wagon, and many times to turn it over.

The parts are assembled as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The thill-eyes, withthe bushings extending from the ends thereof, are then placed betweenthe respective pairs of ears. upon the clips and secured there by boltshaving nuts 17, one only being shown. It will be noticed that the boltis held against turning in the ears, and the bushings are held againstturning on the bolt, so that in use the movement of the thill-eyes mustbe only upon the bushings. The wear upon the bushings, both at the outerends and on the faces, is taken up by tightening-nuts 17 on bolts 10.The action of spring 15 is to force the friction-block outward at alltimes against the inner side of the eye, and thus to wholly do away withrattling. This construction, in practice, is found to perfectly. securethe results aimed at, and to be very strong and durable.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In athill-coupling, thecombinatiomwith the ears and a thill-eye having an opening taperingoutward from the center, of bushings engaging said opening from oppositesides and provided with recesses adapted to register with each other, afriction-block in said recess, and a spring 15,adapted to force saidblock outward into engagement with the eye.

2. A thill-eye whose opening is made narrowest at the center and tapersoutward in both directions, in combination with conical bushings adaptedto engage said opening from opposite sides, and having recesses adaptedto register with each other, a frictionbloek in said recess, and aspring acting to force said block outward into engagement with the eye.

3. The combination, with a thill-eye having a central opening narrowestat the center and tapering outward in opposite directions, of conicalbushings adapted to engage said opening from opposite sides and providedwith recesses adapted to register with each other, a friction-block insaid recess whose outer face corresponds with theinner face of saidopening, and a spring acting to force said block outward into engagementwith the eye.

4. The combination, with a thill-eye having a central opening madenarrowest at the center and tapering outward in both directions, ofconical bushings adapted to engage said opening from opposite sides andhaving recesses adapted to register with each other, the bottoms of saidrecesses being lowest at the ends, a spring 16, whose curvaturecorresponds with the curvature of the bottom of the recess, so as toforce the bushings outward, at the same time retaining the spring inposition, a friction'block, and a spring between said block and spring16, whereby the block is forced outward, as and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination, with a clip and the ears of a thin-coupling, of athill-eye whose opening is made narrowest at the center and tapersoutward in each direction, conical bushings engaging said opening andhaving recesses 13, a friction-block in said recesses, and springs 15and 16, whereby the block is forced against the eye and the bushings areforced against the cars.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED L. STEVENS.

\Vitnesses:

A. M. W'oosrnn, ARLEY I. MUNsoN.

